Students from Emerson, Juanita and Lake Washington high schools and International Community School visited Kirkland City Hall to learn from local elected officials, tour the building and attend a luncheon at the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce.

There are only 19 University of Washington (UW) Presidential Scholar awards to go around in Washington state. This year, three of those awards went to students in Lake Washington School District (LWSD).

Identification and Referral (Child Find): Identification

File: IGB-R: Special Education, Cont.

IdentificationThe purpose of child find is to locate, evaluate, and identify children with suspected disabilities in need of special education services including those who are not currently receiving special education and related services and who may be eligible for those services. Activities are to reach:

Children residing in the school district boundaries including preschool-aged children

Children attending private elementary and secondary schools located within the district boundaries. Elementary or secondary schools include public schools, non-profit institutional day or residential schools and private schools.

Children who have a disability and may need special education services even though they are advancing from grade to grade; and

Children at home or home schooled

The district will consult with parents and representatives of private school students to ensure its child find activities are comparable in private schools located within district boundaries. These consultations will occur annually by phone, meetings, letters, etc.

The district reaches students who may be eligible for special education services through:

Notification to parents of child find activities in its annual informational packet

Information regarding child find on the district’s website

Notification to private schools located in the district’s boundaries

District informational mailings

Posting notices regarding screening and referral in school buildings and public locations homeless housing agency locations, other community agencies, private schools and preschool in the district boundaries, and community preschool sites

When district staff has a concern that a student may have a suspected disability which could result in eligibility for special education services, she/he will notify the building’s school psychologist, school counselor, and/or administrator.

The district’s special services department conducts early childhood screenings for ages birth to five. These early childhood screenings will occur at least once a month for children ages 3 to 5 at specific school locations as determined by the special services department offices on an annual basis. Birth to two childhood screenings will be referred to the district's contracted birth-two center programs. When parents or others inquire about screenings, the caller will be referred to the district preschool child find coordinator and/or designee.

The screening process involves the following:

Parents are asked to provide information to assist in assessing their child; and

Children are screened to assess cognitive, communication, physical, social-emotional and adaptive development

Parents will be notified at the screening of the results and the parents will also be provided written notice of the results within ten days of the screening. If the screening supports evaluation, obtain written consent for evaluation at the exit interview if possible, or include consent forms with the written notice notifying the parents of the results. If the screening results indicate that the child does not need an evaluation, written notice shall be sent to the parents within 10 days of the screening explaining the basis for the district’s decision not to evaluate. Evaluation occurs in accordance with evaluation procedures.

Statements about the district's legal role in providing public education and the underlying principles on which the district operates. The policies here provide a setting for all of the school board's other policies.

Policies about the school district management, the administrative structure and school building and department administration. Here, you will find the personnel policies that pertain to one the superintendent. See the Personnel section below for all other personnel policies.

Policies in this section govern non-instructional services and programs, including business management, such as safety, buildings and their management (not construction), transportation and food services.

The personnel policies are divided in three main subdivisions: topics that pertain to all employees; policies that pertain to professional personnel, including administrators, who must hold educational certification by the state to serve in their positions; and policies pertaining to all other personnel.

Policies concerning students are found here: admissions, attendance, rights and responsibilities, conduct, discipline and health and welfare services. Policies pertaining to the curriculum, instruction of students, and extracurricular programs are in the Instruction section.

This section governs the district's relationship with other education agencies: other school districts, regional or service districts, private schools, colleges and universities, educational research organizations and state and national education agencies.

The Lake Washington School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, gender, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Complete policy statement